Francesca and Sharkey

My Nephew, Charlie's, Hummingbird Garden

My niece, Sophie Slater, who is a yoga teacher and life coach, is the editor in chief and main wellness writer for the Arogya blog. Arogya is a wonderful holistic healing center and specialty tea company, located in Westport, Connecticut. Sophie would like to share the following blog she posted about her brother, Charlie.

I grew up in Fairfield County, Connecticut and I had no idea about the abundance of Ruby-throated hummingbirds that migrate there for the summer. This changed when my younger brother, Charlie Plimpton, opened my eyes to an incredible world that exists right in our backyards. Charlie, who is completing his bachelor’s degree in wildlife and conservation biology at the University of Rhode Island, has loved hummingbirds since he was a boy. Initially, he began hanging sugar-water feeders around the yard to attract these magnificent little creatures. A few years ago, he developed a passion for gardening, and decided to create an oasis of hummingbird friendly flowering plants. Charlie is always an inspiration and I was so happy when he offered to share a bit of his hummingbird garden wisdom for this blog. There are a few things that make certain plants appealing to hummingbirds. First and foremost, they seek out those whose flowers have a high amount of sugar in their nectar. They are attracted to the color red, but will drink from other colors of flowers, as well. Hummingbirds are also attracted to narrow, tubular shaped flowers. I also wanted to express that Charlie is always reminding me of the invaluable and meditative act of slowing down in order to be more in tune with nature. It’s incredible how much more perceptive and observant you become. I can’t believe, for example, that all these elegant little hummingbirds were right under my nose for years!

1 Charlie has worked quite diligently creating his hummingbird paradise. This is a male Ruby-throated hummingbird, which is the only kind of hummingbird found in the Northeast. It's very interested in this Pink Lemonade honeysuckle.

2 Charlie is very proud of his creation.

3 This hanging basket has a bright orange fuchsia, another hummingbird friendly annual.

4 These are Red Hot Poker stalks, a perennial native to South Africa.

5 This is a coral honeysuckle, which is a relatively common and non-fragrant variation of honeysuckle.

6 Quite fittingly, this red flowering annual is called cardinal flower, a hummingbird favorite. Native to the Northeast, cardinal flower typically grows in marshy areas. Therefore, make sure it gets plenty of water in your garden.

7 Red salvia and 'Black and Blue' salvia - Both are relatively common annuals. Blue salvia is one of hummingbird's favorite flowers to feed upon, as its nectar has a particularly high sugar content.

8 Hummingbirds love the showy fuchsia flowers, which are excellent to grow in hanging baskets. To the right is more 'Black and Blue' salvia.

9 This beautiful plant is cardinal vine, a fast growing and vigorous annual that's very easy to train on trellis or fence. You can find it at your local nursery or, if you're feeling more ambition, grow it from seed, as Charlie did.

10 This Pink Lemonade Honeysuckle is beautiful and fragrant. Plus, it's a hit with the hummingbirds when in bloom from late spring to mid-summer. It needs a trellis or fence to grown upon.

11 As you can see, this hummingbird is feeding nicely.

12 Another hummingbird dining on the honeysuckle

13 A close up of the more common Coral honeysuckle, which Charlie purchased at one of his favorite nurseries.

14 This is a cigar flower, a native annual of Mexico that blooms all summer long. Hummingbirds adore this plant!

19 These are the fragrant dark purple flowers of butterfly bush, which hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees adore.

20 Another agastache

21 This brilliant flower is crocosmia, which is an excellent cut flower that attracts hummingbirds in the garden.

22 Anise hyssop is a perennial agastache.

23 The bee balm in Charlie's garden is blooming profusely.

24 This female spends a good deal of time feeding on the bee balm.

25 This deep red bee balm matches the ruby red of this male's neck.

26 Our parents live on a branch of the Saugatuck River and for the past few summers, Charlie has transformed the swimmable river into a beautiful oasis for people and hummingbirds, alike. Here he is next to Canna lily, which is a tropical annual, and a mix of other hummingbird friendly plants.

27 The vibrant orange of the canna is a real attraction for hummingbirds.

28 Charlie's river garden is abundant with ferns, canna lily, fuchsia, and lantana.

29 Charlie is pointing to a pot of lantana, which is a lovely red, hummingbird friendly annual. He also has cardinal vine growing on an repurposed wine rack.